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Adoom's 1976 Triumph 2500 TC


Adoom

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Started doing some work on this after getting it yesterday.

I think it's not been out in the rain for years. It's dry as a bone, but I've found many holes that water will come in because of perished or missing rubber. Little sign of rust.

Found that the LARGE battery was doing double duty as an engine steady against the alternator. Replaced the old alternator belt with a shorter one so it didn't hit the battery.

The fuel pump is one of those with a glass bowl on top. The rubber seal for the glass bowl is split and leaking. Where can I get one???

Removed the brake master cylinder. It's a dual circuit one. I don't know if these are meant to come apart... Circlip #1 was in 3 pieces. Then a tight fitting nylon washer, I had to drill holes in it to remove it :( Then a rubber seal, also had to mangle to remove. Then a kind of springy washer. Then another Circlip, way deep in there. The circlip pliers didn't quite reach but I got it out with some wangling.

It was filthy, full of gunge. The cylinder doesn't appear pitted. It almost seems sleeved in brass??

Taking it to MP Autoparts tomorrow to see if they can get a kit.

I'll probably replace the rear wheel cylinders and rebuild the calipers too.

 

And I found the fan switch! It was the knob I thought was the choke.

 

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What does that knob near the clock do?

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Need another brake master cylinder. Mine has been sleeved before, in brass which makes it harder to sleeve again. Also, I damaged the piston trying to remove a circlip, so that would also have to be sleeved. Woops.

 

Removed the front calipers. Needs new pads, they are super crusty and very worn. Needs new caliper pistons, they are rusting on the exposed bits and the chrome is coming off. Needs new brake hoses, they are not cracked, but look real old.

I ordered a fuel pump repair kit and a new speedo cable from Chris Witor.

I got some new rear wheel cylinders, need to take the drums off to see if they are oversize before ordering new shoes.

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Left the calipers at MP Autoparts this morning. They have disassembled them and the pistons are fuckered. They will clean the calipers and supply seals, pistons and new pads.

I'm getting new hoses too.

I took the rear drums off tonight, they look okay, same goes for the shoes. The wheel cylinders are fucked as expected. I have two new ones to go on. One of the E-clips for the wheel cylinders broke, so I need another.

When I took the rear wheels off...

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Shits fucked yo. Only one wheel is cracked. I expect it is beyond economical repair??

It has a spare steel wheel. 

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Thought I would assemble the drums and the calipers tonight.

Started on the drums. Cunt cunt fucking fuck cunt what fucking fuck cunt bastard designed these fucking fuck things.... almost 3 hours later drums are assembled. Most of that time was spent trying to get the damn springs on. They must assemble them on the back plate at the factory, then put on the drive flange... or something.

 

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Finished assembling the calipers tonight. Then thought, "I'll just put them on, it won't take long, outside, in the rain, as it's starting to get dark.".

I got a bit wet, but they are on, as well as the new brake hoses.

Just need that master cylinder.

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Looked at fitting my spare 14's, I think they are from a cressida. I found a photo of them.

Picture004.jpg.907a0858c00e851fd6cf79a7fcbb05ef.jpg

They are crusty now, the paint is being lifted by oxidation because they where stored in a damp place.

Buuuut, I found that they need a shank nut that is shorter and a larger diameter than the ones for the hotwires.

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I got another brake master cylinder thanks to Threeonthetree and Tumeke.

I pulled it apart tonight. It's been sleeved in stainless before and looks pretty good. It was full of black gunge still. There is a ring of something deep down in the cylinder that I cannot tell if it's dirt or damage, so I will get MP Autoparts to run a hone down it.

There are two pistons joined together with a metal... strap thing and a spring. Two tiny roll pins need to be knocked out to separate the halves and get the seals off. I spent most of my time fucking about trying to remove the roll pins. I broke the small punch. The most effective tool to knock them out with was an allen key clamped in the vice and a bit of chip board to stop the hammer damaging the pistons... the roll pin ends up embedded in the chipboard.

I got the piston set back together with new seals without fucking anything, just need the okay on the cylinder.

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Bled the brakes. Fucked around a bit trying to get it to pump fluid, I think the master cylinder was full of air.

But now it pumps nice clean fluid with no bubbles.

Worked out I needed to remove the drums and pump the pedal to get the adjuster to tighten up the shoes. Now the handbrake works.

The brakes still feel a bit meh, like the pedal doesn't do much until it's almost on the floor. Is there like a pushrod I need to adjust?

The pads and shoes still need running in I suppose, that might make it 'bite' better?

What should the brakes feel like?

It's still overflowing from the rear carb float chamber. But the needle valve looks fine, clean as.

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I got some taper nuts for the spare steel wheel rather than use the shank nuts from the alloys.

I also tried the remove handbrake cable, then pump brakes to get the shoes to adjust, then reattach the handbrake cable method to see if it helped with the pedal height. I don't think it made a difference. Why is my pedal so low???

I also discovered that when I put the compressor air gun on the master cylinder reservoir to try force the fluid into it, when I couldn't get it to bleed.... it was too much pressure, woops and cracked the reservoir a little at the base so now it leaks a tiny bit. Fortunately I have a spare.

I sprayed a bunch of carb cleaner into the float valve and spun it around in its seat a bit. Seems to have stopped leaking, for now. I ordered a new valve and seat. $32!!! They are $10 in UK! But then the other one looked like it was leaking... but I think it stopped.

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Second night of literally living in my shed. Last night was quite warm. But it's been raining since this afternoon with a southerly, so 14 degrees. Upside is my cars and tools are in my bedroom :D I fixed the horn, it worked when I picked it up but then never again. Someone had spliced in their own separate wire and online fuse from the horn relay to the horn and unplugged the original wires... their splicing/ soldering was so shit. I ripped all the extra crap out and proceeded to trace the wires back to find why the original wiring wasn't working. Pretty sure it was just a spade connector that needed cleaning up. Horn works now, "parp parp".

I tried to remove my center console to glue up the cracks, but couldn't work out how to remove the choke, fan, cig knobs. I can unscrew the... bezel nuts? but the knob is too big for the hole and I don't think lube will help in this case.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I replaced the broken speed cable with one I bought from witors.

I replaced the wiper blades and cleaned the inside and outside of the windscreen.

I made a shopping list of parts I need or want:

Steering wheel

Number plate lights for bootlid

Set of front window winders

One of the screws that holds the wooden dash panel.

Sun visors

A center console that is not cracked.

Seatbelt hook from B-pillar

The vinyl part of the dash with no/less cracks, if such a thing exists.

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I found an old icecream wrapper in one of the backseat ash trays. I think it's 80s or 90s.

 

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I ripped and hacked the foam rubber mat off the firewall because I knew there was run under there.

It all looks fairly simple to repair with the engine out(and the mat/stuff under the dash). Anyone got a good firewall they can cut out and send me to make patches with?

 

 

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Washer jet wasn't working. How did it get a wof...?

There was power at the motor without pressing the button on the stalk to make it go. Took the button apart and a plastic pin that holds a brass cone in place was missing causing it to be always on. Dang!

But then I found it under the carpet!!! Button works as it is supposed to now.

I took the motor apart and it was well burnt out from being on for ages. I'll find a suitable replacement at pickapart

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  • 4 weeks later...

So, putting a 1 UZ and a W57 in this....eventually.

I'm not sure what I want to do with the rear end.

I've got to upgrade the diff, cause it will break from all the torques. 

Without breaking out spreadsheets, I think the ratio needs to be around 3.0 to 3.5 to avoid too high revs at cruising speed.

I could just replace the diff with something bigger and keep the existing suspension. But the rear suspension is supposed to be quite shit.

I have the whole IRS from the LS400, but it's crazy heavy and 200mm too wide. I don't think I could make it fit easily. I could just use the diff from it, but it seems huge and heavy. The brakes are also giant and I'd need 16" wheels.

The IRS from a commodore looks like it could be made to fit with less effort than the LS400 and they have the right ratios available....

If I am going to fit the rear IRS suspension from something else, I would prefer to modify the subframe to fit the car, rather than modify the car to fit the subframe.

Comments....?

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